Peatland Archaeology Coasters

Around one fifth of Ireland is peatland. In addition to their ecological significance, a key archaeological feature of these environments (at least for undrained bogs) is their potential to preserve organic materials that rarely survive on dryland sites. The Irish Peatland Archaeology Across Time Project (funded by Research Ireland) has collated and analysed over 30 years of archaeological survey and excavation, largely carried out as mitigation for Bord na Móna peat extraction activities. We have identified c. 4000 sites and monuments and c. 240 artefacts from excavations. The irony of our archaeological knowledge is that it is industrial scale drainage and peat extraction which has exposed these fragile remains. These processes are also responsible for the destruction of much of the resource - with comparatively few of the identified sites excavated (less than 10%). 

The coasters show just a selection of the important prehistoric ‘bog’ finds that are on display at the National Museum of Ireland: The Coggalbeg Hoard, The Brockagh Axe,The Ralaghan Figurine (as part of the Kingship and Sacrifice exhibition), and the skeleton of a Giant Irish elk.

If you want to know more - You can download a free booklet on Ireland's peatland archaeology HERE

Peatland Ecology Coasters

Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) - Cromán na gearc

One might wonder, “why are birds so important”? Surely, we should be focussing on everything in nature, not just the cute stuff. Especially in Ireland, where have less than 200 species (mainland Europe has thousands). Some of the oldest NGOs in the world have been dedicated to bird conservation, and some of these are prominent landowners, such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK), the Audubon Society (US) and NABU (Germany), via donations and bequeaths. There are three important drivers of this.

1. Birds are cute, and that matters. Just try raising money for seaweed restoration or convincing them that the clover on your lawn is actually really important. In other words, it creates the “hook” to get people interested in observing and protecting nature

2. Hunting can protect. Imagine tweed-laden gents, striding across hills with shotguns draped over elbows. Well, many of the protected areas in Ireland are down to this age-old land-use. No, it’s not picking golden eagles from the sky (reminder: highly illegal), but ensuring that populations of ‘game birds’ are kept at sustainable levels, especially in the absence of natural predators. And these actions (and the revenue this industry generates) have been protecting large swathes of land for centuries, while also providing a valuable (and tasty) food source with zero carbon miles.

3. Ecological indicators. Because of their position in the food web, hunting birds like the Hen Harriers are incredibly good indicators for the health of the wider habitat. Hen Harriers feed on small mammals, which need good ground cover and plenty of invertebrates to eat. These plants and invertebrates are where most restoration starts. Try re-introducing Hen Harriers to your local football pitch and see what happens.

But there are challenges to bird conservation. Aside from illegal hunting, conservation itself can present a challenge, especially in our upland blanket bogs.

· On the one hand, the EU’s Birds Directive aims to protect (amongst many others) red grouse and grey partridge, both economically important game birds. These birds, however, rely on a plentiful supply of heather, a plant which (contrary to postcards) should not be anywhere near as abundant.

· The problem? Heather loves drained peatlands, which is exactly what the EU’s Habitats Directive is trying to- rewet peatlands! In fact, upland Blanket Bog is a high priority habitat for restoration. Raising the water table on these areas will directly impact the population numbers of protected birds.

This gets very philosophical very fast. Are we aiming for 1930s treeless Ireland (‘postcard conservation’) or pre-human Atlantic forest, with many fewer big predatory birds like Hen Harriers? The verdict, clearly, is still out.

For further information on the birds of Ireland, go to: https://birdwatchireland.ie/ https://www.npws.ie/research-projects/animal-species/birds

Devil’s Matchstick (Cladonia floerkeana) – Cipín an deabhail

When we think of symbiosis (“living together”), we usually think of two living things helping each other out. Actually, it can take many forms. This spans everything from active competition (think: predators and prey), parasitism (ticks, tape worms, you name it) and mutualism (that is, both species benefit). In the case of the lichens (“lie-kens”), it’s firmly in the last category. What looks like a plant is actually a fungus covered in a thin layer of algae. Usually, mushrooms grow in the dark but, by covering themselves in a slimy algal layer (Asterochloris erici, if you really wanted to know) which converts sunlight into energy (photosynthesis) it can grow during daylight. The algae get a lovely sunbed, while the fungus gets constant daytime food!

The important thing about lichens is that they’re highly sensitive to air pollution. So, where you have good air quality in a spot that’s nice and damp, you’re more likely to get lots of lichens. On the ground, on trees, even covering fenceposts and rocks!

Check the lichens on a rural tree and compare these to your nearest urban tree.

A final funny anecdote, because of their hardy nature and distinctive appearance, Cladonia is also known as the “Gritty British Soldier Lichen”, though not in Ireland, for obvious reasons. It’s even included in postage stamps in Belarus!

For further information on lichens, go to: https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/resources/species-accounts/cladonia-floerkeana https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/217100-Cladonia-floerkeana

Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) - Brídeog Bhandach

Invertebrates (things without internal skeletons) get a bad reputation. They buzz around our ears, sometimes bite, look very different to us and are therefore a lot less cuddly than the average mammal, especially when you get up close (the terrifying mouth of the Alien from the films is modelling on dragonfly jaws!). However, they are absolutely essential to all animal life. There is not a single part of our diet that is not dependent on the work of invertebrates, whether it is pollination of our apples, turning over our soil, feeding the animals that feed us, eating mosquito larvae, cleaning the water that we drink…. The list goes on.

As a result, the presence of invertebrates (especially large ones like the Banded Demoiselle damselfly) in an ecosystem are really strong indicators of the health of an environment that can provide all kinds of services to us and other living things there. And because dragonflies and damselflies are big, colourful and easy to see, they are particularly well suited to ‘citizen science’, or the practice of drafting in members of the public to report on sightings. The same can be said with bees, with a long-running programme of transect walks conducted each year by members of the public, spotting bees as they walk and reporting back to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

With the Banded Demoiselle, it’s actually only the male that has the black bands on its wings: females have see-through wings. And the flying animal we spot is actually only the very last (and short-lived!) stage of their lives. You see, female demoiselles lay their eggs inside plant stems, and when the larvae munch their way out, they spend two years slowly developing, through various re-incarnations known as ‘nymphs’, or larvae, hibernating through multiple winters in the mud, until they finally transform into damselflies in May of their final year. The flying version that we see only lasts for a couple of months, then the cycle starts again. So, it's very important that the male catches the eye of the female; time is of the essence!

And the most amazing thing about damselflies and dragonflies (Odonata)? They’ve been around for over 300 million years and were well established when dinosaurs were beginning to take their first steps, some with 2-foot wing spans! And all of this is reliant on lots of clean water, something healthy peatlands have been providing for thousands of years.

For further information on damselflies and dragonflies, go to: https://biodiversityireland.ie/ https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/damselflies/banded-demoiselle https://youtu.be/EHo_9wnnUTE

Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) - Drúchtín móna

When you’re next in Ireland’s National Botanic Gardens, pay a visit to the carnivorous plants in the tropical house. These huge pitcher plants and Venus fly traps are an impressive display of nature’s ability to problem-solve. The problem? A lack of key nutrients to grow. Whereas most plants might struggle without key nutrients, some have evolved an ability to attract, trap and digest small insects, which can provide these nutrients.

And many people might believe that this is exclusively a tropical phenomenon, something you need to buy expensive flights to see. Not true! Healthy Irish peatlands are home to not one, but eleven different species of carnivorous plants. Our peatlands host four kinds of Bladderwort, three kinds of Butterwort, three kinds of Sundew and a single species of introduced Pitcher Plant (originally from Canada). The only drawback, as with much of Ireland’s unique biodiversity, is that these can be small and hard to identify and therefore easily overlooked. Most of these are very slow predators, slowly folding leaves over on insects trapped on sticky surfaces. Sundews might only digest five insects per month. However, the Bladderwort, which traps insects under the surface of the water with parts that move at 4 metres/second, has one of the fastest acting plants traps in the world! And, like all of our unique peatland biodiversity, these species are reliant on lots of water that is free from contamination.

For further information on peatland plants, go to: https://www.wildflowersofireland.net/plant_detail.php?id_flower=272 https://www.ipcc.ie/a-to-z-peatlands/peatland-species/carnivorous-plants-killers-in-the-bog/ https://youtu.be/HQ69c5bRJAU?si=tCyPVWZztkCZwWuJ